We’ve upped the sport for hummingbird cake. Conventional cake layers baked with ripe mashed banana, crushed pineapple, and toasted pecans are crammed with vanilla bean pudding and sliced ripe bananas, making a mind-blowing marriage of two dessert favorites: all of the basic flavors of hummingbird cake with a wealthy banana pudding vibe. Enrobed in Vanilla Italian Buttercream, this cake wouldn’t be full with out crumbly vanilla wafer cookies and extra contemporary banana slices.
Banana Pudding Hummingbird Cake
Makes 1 (9-inch) cake
- 2 cups (529 grams) mashed ripe banana
- 1 (8-ounce) can (227 grams) crushed pineapple in juice
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (220 grams) firmly packed gentle brown sugar
- 1 cup (224 grams) canola oil
- 3 giant eggs (150 grams), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) vanilla bean paste
- 3 cups (375 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) floor cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon floor nutmeg
- 1 cup (113 grams) chopped toasted pecans
- Vanilla Italian Buttercream (recipe follows)
- 3 to 4 giant unpeeled bananas (540 to 720 grams), peeled and reduce crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices
- Vanilla Cream Filling (recipe follows)
- Garnish: finely crushed vanilla wafers, bananas slices, complete vanilla wafers
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Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray 3 (9-inch) spherical cake pans with baking spray with flour. Line backside of pans with parchment paper.
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In a big bowl, whisk collectively mashed banana, pineapple with juice, sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla bean paste till nicely mixed.
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In one other giant bowl, whisk collectively flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Progressively add flour combination to banana combination, stirring till mixed. Fold in pecans. Divide batter amongst ready pans (about 620 grams every), smoothing tops with a small offset spatula. Faucet pans on a kitchen towel-lined counter a number of instances to settle batter and launch any air bubbles.
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Bake till a wood decide inserted in heart comes out clear, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Take away from pans, and let cool utterly on wire racks.
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Stage cooled cake layers, if desired; discard parchment. Place 1 layer, reduce aspect up, on a cake turntable or a serving plate. Spoon 1 cup (140 grams) Vanilla Italian Buttercream right into a pastry bag; reduce a ½-inch opening in tip. Pipe a ½-inch-tall border round fringe of layer. Organize banana slices in a single layer inside piped border. Unfold half of Vanilla Cream Filling (about 164 grams) on prime of bananas. Prime with second cake layer. Pipe a ½-inch-tall border round fringe of layer. Organize banana slices in a single layer inside piped border. (Reserve any leftover banana slices for garnish or one other use.) Unfold remaining filling on prime of bananas. Prime with remaining cake layer, reduce aspect down. Utilizing a big offset spatula, unfold a skinny layer of buttercream on prime and sides of cake to create a crumb coat; refrigerate for half-hour.
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Reserve 1½ cups (212 grams) Vanilla Italian Buttercream. Unfold remaining buttercream on prime and sides of cake; refrigerate for 20 minutes. Garnish backside third of cake with crushed vanilla wafers, if desired, gently urgent crumbs into sides.
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Place reserved buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a medium open star tip (Wilton 1M). Pipe swirls of buttercream round prime fringe of cake. Garnish with banana slices, complete vanilla wafers, and crushed vanilla wafers, if desired.
Vanilla Italian Buttercream
Makes about 7½ cups
- 2 cups (400 grams) extra-fine granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 grams) water
- 1 cup (240 grams) egg whites, room temperature (about 8 giant egg whites)
- ½ teaspoon (2 grams) cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) kosher salt
- 2½ cups (567 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and really softened
- 2 teaspoons (12 grams) vanilla bean paste*
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In a medium saucepan, mix sugar and ½ cup (120 grams) water. Convey to a boil over excessive warmth, being cautious to not splash sides of pan and stirring to assist sugar dissolve. (Don’t stir as soon as combination begins to boil.) Prepare dinner till an instant-read thermometer registers 240°F (116°C).
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In the meantime, within the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt at medium pace till smooth peaks type.
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With mixer on medium pace, pour scorching sugar syrup between aspect of bowl and whisk attachment in a sluggish, regular stream. Enhance mixer pace to excessive; beat till stiff peaks type and bowl and meringue are comparatively cool to the contact, 8 to 10 minutes.
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Change to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium pace, progressively add butter, a number of cubes at a time, beating till mixed after every addition. (Combination will look very unfastened to start out, and should even look damaged at one level, however buttercream will come collectively. [See Notes.]) Beat in vanilla bean paste. Beat till gentle and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Use instantly, or refrigerate in an hermetic container. Let refrigerated buttercream come to room temperature, and rewhip utilizing the whisk attachment till silky easy earlier than utilizing. (See Notes.)
Notes: If meringue is simply too heat when butter is added and combination is simply too unfastened, place the entire bowl within the fridge for a couple of minutes to assist the combination agency again up. Return bowl to face mixer, and proceed with recipe as directed, repeating process as mandatory.
If butter was too chilly when added and is forming small lumps in buttercream, gently heat bowl over simmering water simply till edges begin to soften. For a gentler strategy, heat bowl with a scorching towel to assist soften the butter. Proceed with recipe as directed, repeating process as mandatory.
If buttercream breaks or appears to be like curdled, maintain beating it; it ought to ultimately come collectively.
Vanilla Cream Filling
Makes about 1¾ cups
- 1⅓ cups (320 grams) complete milk
- ¼ cup (50 grams) extra-fine granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons (12 grams) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons (6 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 giant egg yolks (56 grams)
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and softened
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) vanilla bean paste
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Line a medium shallow baking dish or bowl with plastic wrap; place a fine-mesh sieve inside.
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In a medium saucepan, warmth milk over medium warmth till steaming. (Don’t boil.)
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In a medium bowl, whisk collectively sugar, cornstarch, flour, and salt. Whisk in egg yolks till nicely mixed. (Combination will likely be very thick.) Progressively add half of heat milk to sugar combination, whisking always. Add sugar combination to remaining heat milk in pan. Convey to a boil over medium warmth, whisking always. Prepare dinner, whisking always, till thickened and combination now not tastes starchy, 3 to 4 minutes. Take away from warmth.
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Add butter to heat milk combination in two additions, stirring till mixed; stir in vanilla bean paste. Pour and press combination by way of fine-mesh sieve into ready dish or bowl; easy into a skinny layer. Cowl with a bit of plastic wrap, urgent wrap straight onto floor of pudding to forestall a pores and skin from forming. Refrigerate till completely chilled, 2 to three hours or as much as in a single day. Stir till softened and easy earlier than utilizing.
PRO TIP
When adorning with contemporary banana slices, calmly coat the slices in contemporary lemon juice to forestall the fruit from browning. To perform this, lay the freshly reduce banana slices flat on a bit of parchment paper. Utilizing a pastry brush, gently brush the slices with contemporary lemon juice. Flip the slices over, brush the other aspect. Use the lemon juice sparingly, although. Alternatively, garnish the cake with banana slices and complete vanilla wafers simply earlier than serving for optimum freshness.
